RESTAURANTS AND FOOD

Monday, March 9, 2020

Outstanding Dinner in Celtic Ross Kingfisher Restaurant

Outstanding Dinner in Celtic Ross Kingfisher Restaurant

Dome of delight. Irish Coffee Mousse.

There are some very accomplished chefs working in hotels and quite a few of them, Kevin O'Sullivan at the Garryvoe, Gemma Murphy at The Maryborough, Ciaran Scully at The Bayview and Stuart Bowes at Barnabrow are local examples that spring to mind, seem to fall under the radar, especially by comparison with their counterparts in standalone restaurants. I am thinking of this the other night in the Kingfisher Restaurant an the Celtic Ross where Executive Head Chef Alex Petit and Head Chef Shane Deane are offering their amazing West Cork Spring Menu.

It is short and tight, packed with local produce, and executed with top notch skill. The result is a meal that you’d be lucky to find in well-known standalone restaurants around the country. And not just one meal. Because, while the menu is short, there are enough combinations to enticingly engage you and your palate over multiple visits!

Monkfish

There are two evening menus in the hotel, one for the restaurant, one for the bar. We were heading for the restaurant and so picked from the West Cork Spring Menu 2020, which offers two courses for €31.00, three for €36.00.

Water, breads and the menu are quickly on the table and are soon followed by a pork based Amuse Bouche. They have a well balanced wine list but we hold off until we’ve chosen the food and we do that reasonably quickly. CL picks a red wine, a velvety soft and flavoursome Ciu Ciu Bacchus, Montepulciano, from the Marche in Italy. I’m on fish with different sauces for the night so take a punt on the rich Little Rascal Chardonnay from Victoria in Australia, a little cold at the start but soon warms up and blossoms into a little beauty as they might say down under.

Egg

This menu is available from Thursday to Saturday evenings and has four choices for each course. My starter is a good as anything I’ve eaten anywhere on the island in recent years. Poached monkfish in saffron with Beluga lentil caviar, fermented lemon aioli, charred Waterfall Farms broccoli, and radish. An amazing combination, pleasing to the eye, the palate and further down!

And CL feels much the same about her Sally’s smoked haddock Scotch egg - I reckon you’ll know Sally the smoker! It comes in a leek soup, curry oil, pickled golden raisins, and crispy leeks. Another imaginative combination! Other starters on the menu were Skeaghanore Goose Liver Parfait and The Waterfall Farm Carrot Dip.

Lamb

We’re on a roll now. And the high standard continues. My mains pick is Pan Roasted Cod (bouillabaisse, local wild garlic gnocchi, cavolo nero, saffron rouille). All the elements are spot on, each playing a part. Put them all together and you have a symphony of flavour sensations in the dish and it also looks well. Probably dish of the year so far!

Our other main course was Confit Drimoleague Lamb shoulder with puffed barley, carrot purée, charred pointed cabbage, reduced braising jus. The kitchen is playing a blinder here, scoring every time with delicious well-presented dishes. Other mains courses are Salt Baked Celeriac and Duo of Rosscarbery Sirloin of Beef and Featherblade.

Cod

Warm Orange marmalade pudding

Time now for the boys to step back and allow Pastry Chef Alicja Samulik take the spotlight. Her new Irish Coffee Mousse is amazing, the perfect amalgam of white chocolate and Irish coffee, dark chocolate and hazelnut biscuit, honey and oat tuille and so much more.

We share that gem and also the equally delicious, if in a different way, Warm Orange Marmalade Pudding with five spice créme Anglaise and rhum raisin ice cream, all excellent ingredients but superb in ensemble. Thumbs up all around for these two. Also available are Baked Lemon Tart and a West Cork cheeseboard that features Vintage Carbery Cheddar, Gubbeen, and Milleens.

As you can see, they’ve got quite a team assembled in that kitchen, and the results on the plate are up there with the best of them.

Mescan, the artisan beer for St. Patrick’s Day

press release

Mescan, the artisan beer for St. Patrick’s Day

Named after the monk Mescan who was St. Patrick’s friend and personal brewer, Mescan is surely the perfect beer to choose for St. Patrick’s Day. Appropriately, the Belgian-style beer is brewed on the slopes of the holy mountain Croagh Patrick, near Westport in Co. Mayo. The stylised Mescan logo is a simple, creative representation of the mountain and the curved swirl represents the water flowing from the holy mountain which is used to make all the Mescan beers, via a spring well beside the brewery. In medieval Europe it was common for monks to make and drink beer as an aid to sustenance during periods of fasting and prayer. We are sure Mescan's brew would had helped the saint during his Lenten devotions on the mountain.

Founders, owners and brewers are ex-veterinary surgeons Bart Adons and Cillian O’Moráin. Bart hails from Belgium and before launching, the pair spent four years perfecting their original recipes for beers inspired by Bart's homeland. Mescan produce artisan Belgian-style beers brewed in small batches with craft, care and attention to detail. They are matured for months before they reach perfection and are released for sale. The water for Mescan beers comes from deep underneath Croagh Patrick via a spring beside the brewery. Malts, hops and yeast for the beer come from Belgium.

The Mescan core stable of beers is: Mescan Blond, Mescan White, Mescan Red Tripel, Mescan Saison, Mescan Extra, Westporter Stout and Mescan Special Reserve. They also produce a seasonal Christmas Beer ‘Beoir na Nollag’ and Mescan ‘Seven Virtues’ which is a series of one-off brews taking the taster on an eclectic voyage for the palate. Seven Virtues Baltic Porter will be available later in the year.

Mescan Blond beer is the flagship brew. It is a 5.5% golden ale with pear and floral notes and restrained hop bitterness perfectly balancing the malt flavours. Crisp, clean on the palate and flavoursome it is an excellent match for most foods making it the perfect beer to have on hand.

Mescan have produced an innovative Food-Pairing Guide, an easy way to match Mescan craft beers with the foods that complement each beer best. It is available in a printed format and also via the website. A simple click on a QR code brings you to the webpage. The Mescan Food-Pairing Guide was developed by Inge Roels, a Belgian food-pairing expert in who has worked with the brewery since its early days.

Mescan Beers are available through Faherty Wholesale in Connacht and Alpha Beer and Cider Distribution nationwide.

There won’t be any green beer flowing at the Mescan Brewery on St. Patrick’s Day – but there certainly will be beer.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Le Caveau Portfolio Surprises include a Straw Winery and an Off the Grid Riesling. Not Surprised though by the Quality.

Le Caveau Portfolio Surprises include a Straw Winery & an Off the Grid Riesling.

Not Surprised though by the Quality.

Always something interesting at the Le Caveau Portfolio tastings. After all, Pascal Rossignol’s company has some 600 wines in stock so there’s bound to be something unusual. But I wasn’t quite prepared for the winery made from straw!

Domaine de L’Achillée is the Alsace winery, situated less than an hour south-west of Strasbourg. The Dietrich family have farmed in the Alsace since 1600. These days they concentrate on grapes and other fruits and have been organic since 1999.

For the gap between white and red, via The Rocketman!

In 2016, the two sons of Yves Dietrich, Jean and Pierre, joined the adventure to give it a big boost, to become independent. Quickly accompanied by an equally passionate team, they built together a bioclimatic winery where they now vinify the nuggets of the family estate. Apparently, the heavily compacted straw bales are more fire-proof than the iron frame that supports them. Their website says this is the largest straw building in Europe.

And the wine? Well that was unusual also. The 2016 Alsace Blanc is a kind of Gentil with up to nine grapes in the blend. Sylvaner accounts for fifty per cent and the others are Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, with Auxerrois, Muscat and Chasselas. The wine is aromatic, floral with white and yellow fleshed fruit, with more of the same in the mouth, lively, elegant, persistent. Le Caveau also carry their 2016 Riesling.

Dario (right) fills me in on excellent Italian Il Pionere.

The first surprise of the tasting was not a wine at all! It was a perry, the Poiré Authentique produced by Éric Bordelet of Normandy. A superb low alcohol drink, full of flavour and refreshment. At the same table, I next enjoyed the Rosso Colfóndo, by Casa Belfi in the Veneto. The Colfóndo is the method, not quite the same as Prosecco, and the grape variety is not the usual Glera but a local variety called Raboso. Lively and lovely with tart red fruits before a sweetish finish. Something for the coming summer!

In the beautiful German town of Deidesheim, Von Winning produce some gorgeous wine including the 2106 Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc). “This is newish," said Le Caveau’s Colm McCan as we tasted. “They are a long established winery and this is a beautiful wine.” Sure is. I'll be putting that on my shopping list.

A wine and a half, in a magnum.

Colm was meeting and greeting but was back with me by the time I got to Oregon, to the Ovum winery in particular. Ovum, as you may know, means egg and the egg shape features prominently in the operations here, they use egg-shaped fermentors. Whatever they’re doing, they're getting it right if this Off the Grid Riesling is anything to go by. Ovum are well known from their Big Salt wine which gained them something of a cult following.

Made a sparkling start with
this Colfòndo

Another American to engage the palate was Feints Red by Ruth Lewandowski from Utah. Apparently the grapes are grown in California and the fermentors are later moved to Utah. It is a very engaging blend of Arneis, Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo, an Italian quartet.

And, speaking of Italy, I found another gem in the Il Pionere, IGP Salento, Natalino Del Prete, new to Le Caveau. But not new to Dario who was with the Kilkenny company on the day and who also worked in this winery. He told me they were pioneers in the organic field. The fruit comes from low-growing bush vines of low density; “Great acidity, textured, no heaviness, between fruit and floral.” The main grape is Negromara and there is a little Malvasia Nera which enhances the aromas. Superb.

The trend towards lighter, drier and lower alcohol wines was evident in the tasting but room for the odd big hitter too including a quite excellent Saperavi by Georgia’s Ketevan Berishvili, that weighed in with 15.5% abv! Calcarius of Puglia had a series of low alcohol wines. I got to taste three: Hellen Rosso, the Roz and a lovely summery Orange. All good

Also impressed with the Roussette de Savoie (and its unusual Altesse grape); and three from Burgundy, Les Buées by Larue, the Givry “Clos de la Roche” from Parize and the Beaune “clos des Renardes” by Fanny Sabre. Loved too the gentle aromas and palate of the Mauzac Rose by Cazottes in Gaillac, the Bordeaux wines of Té Diem, the Burgundy red by Lacour, and the El Abasto Malbec from Argentina.

I had been thinking of skipping the Txakoli but I was persuaded to try the Ameztoi 2018. And glad that I did. It is lovely wine, just 10.5%, and the acidity doesn’t show as much as it does normally in this Basque wine. So I’m putting it on my list!

Towards the end, I came across a magnificent Pinot Noir, the Ahurani by Kelley Fox (US). This whole-bunch wine is up there with the best of them. But, if I had worn my overcoat, the one I would have been tempted to smuggle out would have been the Morgon “Le Clos de Lys” by Domaine Chamonard. Don’t think I’d have made it through though as it came in a magnum! And in any event, I noticed that it is very well priced by the bottle. So I’ll be honest and buy!

Well done to all at Le Caveau who managed to get over 100 of their 600 wines up on the shelves in the ancient Apple Market shed in the heart of old Cork. And a big pat on the back too to the Rocketman who supplied some excellent real food for lunch, very enjoyable indeed.

Kelly’s Putóg for St. Patrick’s Day

press release

Kelly’s Putóg for St. Patrick’s Day

Kelly’s Butchers won a gold medal for this ‘pint of pudding’ made out of Kelly’s Pudding and garnished with shamrocks.

St. Patrick’s Day is all about tradition – and there’s nothing more traditional than a Putóg. The ‘Putóg’ is the traditional Irish black pudding made in every farmhouse in the West of Ireland. The filling was a combination of oatmeal, onions, suet, blood, salt and pepper and other easily sourced ingredients. Originally it was made in the time-honoured casing of a sheep’s stomach. Award winning butchers, Kelly’s of Newport, are keeping tradition alive by producing the ‘Putóg’ in its original form. The word ‘Putóg’ actually translates from Irish as ‘gut’, or ‘belly’. Kelly’s Putógs are flying off the shelves coming up to the big day itself, ready to grace breakfast (and dinner tables countrywide).

In recent years there’s been a trend for Irish embassies worldwide to bring in Kelly’s puddings and sausages to impress their St. Patrick’s Day guests. This year is no exception – 1200 Kelly’s sausages are winging their way to the Irish Embassy in Helsinki, Finland and the Druid Chef, Rory Morahan is heading off to Cyprus with a stack of Kelly’s puddings under his oxter ready to cook up a storm for the celebrity guests.

Kelly’s Butchers, Newport, Co. Mayo are a traditional artisan butchers with a thriving retail shop. They still run their own abattoir, buy local stock and manufacture all their own products onsite. They do not outsource manufacturing. Products are available through specialist shops and supermarkets countrywide as well as through the website. Kelly’s are proud supporters of Newport 300, the town’s tricentenary celebrations.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Sea Church Restaurant Opens in Landmark Ballycotton Venue

press release
Sea Church Restaurant Opens in Landmark Ballycotton Venue

Sea Church Restaurant has opened in the old schoolhouse in Ballycotton, East Cork this week. The new incarnation of this Ballycotton landmark sees a welcoming, laid-back restaurant overlooking the dramatic Atlantic coastline. It is part of a multi-million euro two year renovation by local businessman Pearse Flynn, which included a transformation of St Colman’s Church of Ireland into an iconic event space. Adjoined to the church by a glass atrium, the restaurant retains the schoolhouse’s architectural structure while inviting the contemporary styling of a modern restaurant.

The 82-seater restaurant has drawn on inspiration from the sea for both its menu and interior, the latter reflecting a contemporary maritime décor. Sea Church’s food philosophy is centered around fuss-free dining using the best of Irish ingredients and featuring a number of local suppliers.

Executive Chef Owen Davidson said, “I am delighted to be part of such an exciting project. The building’s setting by the sea and its history within Ballycotton makes it such a unique location for a restaurant. We hope that in tandem with the music venue, it will become a focal point in East Cork for both locals and tourists alike, really showcasing what this part of the country has to offer. The menus take inspiration from the surrounding landscape, utilising the fantastic fresh seafood and ingredients we have right here on our doorstep”.

Sea Church has a relaxed family-friendly atmosphere, serving classic dishes elevated by quality ingredients. For lunch, diners can expect classics such as Naturally Smoked Haddock Chowder with Homemade Wholemeal Soda Bread; Roast Chicken Sandwich with Carved Roast Chicken, Crumbly Sage and Onion Stuffing, Roasted Garlic, Basil Mayonnaise, Caesar Dressed Leaves, Grilled Artisan Bread; and Classic Margherita Pizza with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Basil, Macroom Mozzarella.

Weekend breakfast options include Eggs Benedict with Chargrilled Bacon, Grilled Sourdough, Hollandaise Sauce, Watercress; Buttermilk Pancakes with Stewed Fruits, Whipped Cream, Maple Syrup; as well as the classic Sea Church Full Irish.

The evening menu sees dishes of Whipped Ardsallagh Goat’s Cheese with Crispy Filo, Classic Tapenade, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Rocket; Golden Fried Fish and Chips with Smithwicks’s Red Beer Battered Haddock, Hand Cut Chips, Tartar Sauce, Buttered Garden Peas; and Mandarin and Honey Roasted Half Duckling with Apricot Stuffing, Cointreau Glazed Carrots, Duck Fat Baby Potatoes, Red Wine Jus. All desserts are homemade and include favourites such as Warm Apple and Calvados Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream, Orchard Thieves Custard, and Lemon Tart with Fresh Raspberries, Basil Sugar, Crème Fraiche.

There will also be seasonal specials available across all menus to reflect the changing seasons.

The restaurant is open year-round, Tuesday to Sunday 9:00am to 7:00pm, with later opening on Friday and Saturday until 9:00pm.

Sea Church is located at Main Street, Ballycotton, Co. Cork. Bookings can be made by emailing reception@seachurch.ie, or by phoning (021) 234 0525.

Keep up to date with the latest news by following Sea Church on social @seachurchballycotton.

Amuse Bouche

Pic via Pixabay

We approached a village….. There was a long table with plastic cups and jugs of water. We stopped and drank and women from the village brought out blankets. They gave us bread and cherries and a small bag of nuts, then they stood back and watched us leave. I realised afterwards that the look I had mistaken for wonder was actually fear, and I imagined swapping places with them, seeing hundreds of people battered by war heading to an unknown future.

from The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri (2019). Very Highly Recommended.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Tall. Dark. And Handsome. A Trio of Irresistible Reds from O'Briens Wine

Tall. Dark. And Handsome.

A Trio of Irresistible Reds from O'Briens Wine

Vidigal Porta 6 Vinho Regional Lisboa (IG) 2018, 13.5%, €12.95 O’Briens Wine

This dark and handsome ruby is an irresistible contender. Aromas are loaded with fruit notes and that continues on to the supple palate, with sweet slender spice cozying up well with all that muscular ripe blackberry. And the finish, smooth and knockout long, is also packed with flavour. Quite a punch, quite a wine. Count it out yourself. No wonder O’Briens report it as “Our perennial customer favourite wine…With its memorable label, Porta 6 delivers a huge amount for its price”. Highly Recommended.

This rich full-bodied red, with its eye-catching label, is ideal with roast lamb or beef and with sirloin, striploin and rump steak. It is a blend, as many Portuguese reds are. The locally grown grapes used are Castelão, Tempranillo (Tinta Roriz here), and Touriga Nacional. It has been aged for 3 months in French oak.

* For just a few euro extra, you can get your hands on Porta 6 Reserva. Must keep an eye out for that myself!

Chateau Vieux Pourret Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (AOP) 2016, 13%, €26.95 O’Briens Wine

Deep ruby is the colour here. Aromas are quite intense, mature dark berry fruit the main characteristic. It is indeed soft, round and velvety on the palate as the label indicates and there is also acidity enough. And it shows good character all the way to a very pleasing finish. A harmonious wine and should be fine with red meat dishes (including venison) or hard cheese, poultry too (depending on sauce).

This Very Highly Recommended wine is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Ageing is carried out partially in oak barrels for between 6 months and a year, the rest being aged in concrete. You don’t have to rush this one - it is expected to keep well for ten years. No need to say too much when the wine is this good.

Sacred Hill Reserve Syrah Hawke’s Bay 2017, 12.5%, €19.95 O’Briens Wines

Deep ruby is the colour of this engaging Syrah. Aromas are quite intense, quite complex too with berry fruits, pepper and floral elements in the mix. On the palate this light red is vibrant, dark red fruit flavours with a tangy acidity. And that bright fruit takes you all the juicy way to the excellent finish. A well balanced wine indeed and Highly Recommended.

Sacred Hill are a certified Sustainable vineyards located in some of the best vineyard sites, on the famous Gimblett Gravels, in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. Brothers David and Mark Mason, and winemaker Tony Bish, founded Sacred Hill in 1966, with the aim of developing traditional French styles with a distinct Kiwi twist.

This Syrah is aged for 8 months in French oak to give extra complexity and richness of flavour and is an excellent example of what the trio and the Hawke's Bay region has to offer.

West Waterford Festival of Food Cancelled

Announcing the cancellation of the
West Waterford Festival of Food 2020

"It is with great regret that we have taken the decision to cancel this year’s West Waterford Festival of Food.

In the light of the developing Covid-19 situation, the health and safety of our community, guests and visitors is paramount. While we hugely regret not being able to welcome you all to our beautiful region, we have taken advice, and do not want to place anyone at undue risk."

Who let the kid loose?

West Waterford Festival of Food unveils Sustainably Irish-inspired 2020 programme

Over 35,000 visitors will flock to West Waterford from 16 – 19 April for its 13th annual food festival

The 13^th annual West Waterford Festival of Food takes place from 16 – 19 April, with over 100 free and ticketed events. The 2020 theme, for what is one of Ireland’s biggest foodie festivals, will explore what it means to be sustainably Irish, with tickets for all events on sale from Wednesday, 18 March at www.westwaterfordfestivaloffood.com.

Showcase experiences from the 2020 festival programme include the Great House Dinner with renowned chef Eunice Power at Woodhouse Estate in Stradbally; and a FoodCloud feast made with surplus food from zero waste chef Conor Spacey at The 2 Sisters Restaurant. For Sunday lunch options, head chef of Michelin-starred Ichigo Ichie, Takashi Miyazaki is to cook a Japanese feast in The Tannery Restaurant; and esteemed Waterford Castle head chef Luis H Martin will also be putting on a delectable meal at Dromana House.

Speaking on the 2020 West Waterford Festival of Food programme launch, Festival Director, Gemma Tipton said: “Waterford’s culinary reputation has soared in recent years, especially having been named Foodie Destinations winner last year. Our festival is a showcase of the food from this region, shining a spotlight on West Waterford producers, chefs, suppliers, growers and brewers.”

Over 35,000 visitors are expected to attend West Waterford Festival of Food, with the three-day foodie paradise welcoming old favourites like afternoon tea by Judit McNally; Waterford Way Tapas Trail; and Supper Theatre at Dungarvan Mart. Also returning is Flahavan’s Greenway Breakfast; Blind Tasting at Merry's Gastropub; and the acclaimed Bus Bia Tours.

The Festival Market will be Quayside on Saturday, April 18, with a programme of entertainment and food that celebrates Dungarvan’s marine heritage. The Festival Market will then travel to Grattan Square on Sunday, April 19 featuring over 100 local and artisan producers including the Food The Waterford Way’s Festival Demo Marquee.

Brand-new 2020 highlights include the rediscovery of the art of table talk through canapés by Jess Murphy of Kai Galway; a Moroccan party with the team at Mezze; a picnic river cruise; and a Gatsby-inspired feast marking 100 years since prohibition.

There will be a masterclass from Josh Sutton aka the Guyrope Gourmet, on making feasts in the smallest spaces; a talk on what salty snacks work with which wine from Audrey Biraud, Cliff House Hotel sommelier; and an apple-inspired array of food delights by Carol and Annemarie Prendergast of The 2 Sisters Restaurant at Legacy Cider. There will be a vegan cooking demo from 360 Cookhouse’s executive chef Greg Harris and an Argentinian barbecue by chefs Shane McGrath and Paula Hannigan at the Dungarvan Brewery.

A further addition to the 2020 Festival are the Industry Sessions, presented in partnership with the Local Enterprise Office. These include four workshops — Food Photography, Storytelling, Food Styling and Dealing with the Media; along with a session on the reality of setting up a food business.

Gemma added: “Sustainability is a big focus for us, and we want to shine a light on being Sustainably Irish — what those involved in the Festival do, how they do it and what impact they have on society and the environment. From foraging with Marie Power, The Sea Gardener at Clonea Strand; and Andrew Malcolm on the Waterford Greenway and Ballysaggartmore Towers; to hopping on the Family Farm Bus to local producers and farmers, there are chances to see first-hand across the festival where our food comes from.”

For budding young foodies, there are over 40 family-friendly events this year including free Glanbia Family Fun Days; interactive workshops on healthy eating and cooking; and how to grow crops from seeds. There will be tips to reduce food waste by FoodCloud; biscuit baking classes; a teddy bears picnic; food treasure hunt; and family yoga sessions.

Live entertainment during the festival includes an evening of music, stories, and chowder with Stocktons Wing's Mike Hanrahan; and a play about Ireland’s first celebrity chef Maura Laverty, This Was Your Life.

The 2020 West Waterford Festival of Food is supported by Waterford City and County Council, with sponsors including Flahavan’s, Glanbia Ireland, Flo Gas, Dawn Meats, Garvey’s, Eurofins, San Pellegrino, Blackwater Distillery, SuperValu Food Academy, FBD, Local Link and AIB.

“Through our funders, sponsors, producers, chefs, makers, supporters, venue hosts, friends, volunteers and of course, the visitors, West Waterford Festival of Food is made possible,” said Gemma “We invite everyone to visit West Waterford from 17-19 April and indulge in the region’s best food, drink and live entertainment.”

For full details, visit www.westwaterfordfestivaloffood.com or follow: